A plant technician at GIW Industries works on a large slurry pump that will be used in the mining industry.

By Jenna Martin
Morris News Service

GIW Industries is expanding facilities in Grovetown and Thomson and will add 80 jobs.

Grovetown-based GIW, a subsidiary of KSB AG of Germany, embarked in January on a five-year expansion at both plants to double manufacturing capabilities that service a global mining industry, said company President and CEO Dennis Ziegler.

“We’ve added equipment and we’ve added many millions of dollars of capital, but we’ve just run out of space,” said Ziegler, adding that the company has doubled in size over the past decade.

“And the requirements are for bigger pieces of equipment. We frankly need a larger way to do itto make it faster, quicker and safer.” The projects will include increasing foundry and heat-treating capacities as well as building a 40,000-square-foot distribution center at the Grovetown production facility at 5000 Wrightsboro Road. The Grovetown expansion will result in the hiring of at least 50 highly-skilled factory workers and other staff members.

Upgraded equipment will be installed at the Thomson center, which will add 10 to 30 more jobs.

“This is all part of a more efficient way of doing things,” Ziegler said.

He said GIW is investing several million dollars on the projects, which should be completed by late 2015. GIW Industries, formerly known as Georgia Iron Works, designs and manufactures heavy industrial pumps and related equipment. The centrifugal pumps are used to transport a mixture of liquids and solids, also referred to as slurry. The pumps are used in an array of settings, from mineral processing to wastewater, Ziegler said.

Columbia County officials signed off on a resolution Tuesday that would help GIW pay for expanding Wrights­boro Road in front of the plant. The expansion of the foundry and distribution center is expected to cause more traffic near the facility.

GIW is applying for a $500,000 state Community Development Block Grant through the Employment Incen­tive Program to widen the road, which could cost an estimated $630,000. The resolution supported the application and said the county also would fund up to $100,000 above the grant amount.

The project includes widening about 1,500 feet of Wrightsboro Road from the city limits past the traffic signal at John Deere Parkway.